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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. press — to push
  3. track — to keep track
  4. current — happening now
  5. press — a publisher
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. spring — a coil
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. track — a song
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. current — electric
  16. track — a path
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. press — newspapers
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. stem — to come from
  24. current — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com